Life Remodeled quickly building home for family in need

Volunteers are transforming a once empty lot, working around the clock to build a dream home for a family in need.  The dirt is being hauled away and the stones cleared, replaced with a shell of a dream.

"We remodel lives one family and neighborhood at a time," said Chris Lambert.

He is the president of Life Remodeled, a Christian-based organization that rallies volunteers from all walks of life to help a low income family become homeowners for the first time.

"Be they Muslim, Buddhists, atheists, gay or straight, left wing, right wing, it doesn't matter.  We found that most people, no matter what their world view is, they feel like helping out a low income family in this kind of way is something they want to be a part of," Lambert said.

What's it take to build a house from scratch in one week?

"A lot of prayer.  There is no two ways about it.  A lot of prayer," said Art Grace with Clearwater Construction.

He is overseeing the construction.  Everything is being donated from the skilled labor to the wood and even the drywall.  When it's finished, the one story, three bedroom, two bathroom home will be donated to the Goodwin family.  The father is disabled, so the house is being built to accommodate his wheelchair needs.

The helping hand also extends beyond the new walls.

"We take families through financial training for three years.  We set them up with a financial advisor, a psychologist to offer family counseling, and we also offer spiritual guidance," Lambert explained.

The roughly 200 volunteers started construction Monday.  It's a big job, a true labor of love.

"I'm going to take away from this a lifetime experience of knowing what it's like to just work with a community of people that care.  It's awesome," Grace said.

There is still a lot of work to do, but not a lot of time to get it done.  The Goodwin family will be presented the keys to their new home Sunday afternoon.  They're not the only family Life Remodeled is helping.  They have plans to help at least seven other families throughout metro Detroit this year.

For more information about Life Remodeled, visit www.LifeRemodeled.com.